1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing, and more particularly to a tool for securing a fishhook or lure to wire leader material.
2. Description of the Related Art
A frequent problem encountered by fishermen of all ages is securing a fishhook to the end of a fishing line. A line of leader material is run through the eye of the fishhook and tied upon; itself so as to form a loop of line joined to the eye of the fishhook and a knot securing the fishhook to the line. This usually requires very close attention and good manual dexterity because there is a constant risk of the fisherman injuring his or her fingers with the barbs of the hook while making the loop and knot.
Devices for tying leader material onto fishhooks in the prior art have taken many forms. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,295 issued Aug. 31, 1993 to Spencer and British Patent Specification No. 1 564 599 published Apr. 10, 1980 to McClure teach differently constructed knot tying devices that are used to tie monofilament leader lines together. Both devices may also be used to tie monofilament leader line to the eye of a fishhook.
The Spencer and McClure devices, unfortunately, require not only the manipulation of the device, but also the manipulation of the leader line to form the knots which may be both frustrating and time consuming to some users. Both the Spencer and McClure teachings have the disadvantage of requiring the use of a plurality of separate machined component parts, some of which are required to be movable relative to other fixed components parts. This makes, these devices costly to manufacture and assemble.
U.S. patent application Publication Ser. No. US 2002/0069573 A1 of, Dillard published Jun. 13, 2002 teaches a fishhook mount for rigging a fishhook on a wire leader. The mount secures the fishhook in a manner to be rotated about a central axis by a powered hand drill so that a wire leader can be secured to the eye of the fishhook. One purpose of the Dillard device is to reduce injuries associated with securing wire leader material to fishhooks, such as injuries to the fingers caused by barbs on the fishhook or the thin leader wire material. However, the tag end of the wire leader must still be held by hand when the wire leader is being secured onto the fishhook thus a risk of injury from handling the wire leader is still present when using the Dillard device.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a fisherman""s tool solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention provides a tool for use by fishermen to secure a fishhook or lure to wire leader material. The tool is in the form of a thin elongated plate, or more particular a rectangular plates, preferably fabricated of aluminum.
A first L-shaped guide post is formed on the top face of the plate along one side edge thereof and adjacent the mid-line between the ends of the elongated plate. The upper leg of the first L-shaped guide post extends across the mid-line towards a first end of the plate. An aperture is provide through the plate adjacent the second side edge of the plate on the mid-line.
A second L-shaped guide post is formed on the top face of the plate adjacent the mid-line between the aperture and the first L-shaped guide post. The upper leg of the second L-shaped guide post extends across the mid-line towards the second end of the plate.
In use, wire leader material is passed between the guide posts and looped through the eye of a fishhook or lure. The tag end of the wire is then passed through the aperture in the plate and pulled so that the wire encircles a portion of the eye of the fishhook. The tool is rotated around the mid-line to wrap the portion of the wire passed through the aperture around the portion of the wire between the aperture and second L-shaped post resulting in a barrel wrap securing the fishhook to the wire leader material.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an easily manipulated and uncomplicated fishing tool for all persons, regardless of sex or age.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fisherman""s tool for securing a fishhook or lure to wire leader material.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fisherman""s tool that reduces the risks of injury while securing a fishhook or lure to wire leader material.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements in a fishing tool for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.